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Unfulfilled Dreams in Amy Tan’s Two Kinds
- The short story “Two Kinds” written by Amy Tan is about conflict between a mother and daughter. A mother tries to live her life through her daughter and her daughter rebels. The prominent theme of this short story would seem to be "unfulfilled dreams”. After losing everything in China, the mother of Jing Mei comes to America with the dream that Jing Mei will have it all: fame, fortune, and most of all success unlike herself. Little does she know, her dream will be short-lived. All Parents have dreams for their children.... [tags: Two Kinds by Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Success and Failure in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan, a child of Chinese immigrants, wrote the story “Two Kinds”, telling the tale of a Jing-Mei’s rebellion against her mother’s desire to change her into a prodigy. As Jing-Mei’s mother continually tells her she does not try hard enough to succeed, the conflict between Jing-Mei and her mother escalates. Jing-Mei grows more stubborn, making every effort to resist her mother, and the relationship devolves into a standoff where mother and daughter both refuse to budge from their position. “Two Kinds” shows the irony in Jing-Mei’s relationship with her mother; while her mother believes Jing-Mei does not try hard enough to succeed, Jing-Mei succeeds in her struggle for identity by refusing t... [tags: Two Kinds by Amy Tan]:: 2 Works Cited

The Duality of the American Dream in Amy Tan’s Two Kinds
- For millions of immigrants, America has been seen as the land of opportunity where anyone could become anything he or she wanted to be. A family that believes strongly in the American dream can be found in Amy Tan’s short story, “Two Kinds.” The story centers around the daughter of a Chinese immigrant who desperately wants her daughter to become successful. In the story, the author shows the difficult lives immigrants face when moving to a new culture. In this short story, the theme shows the protagonist’s conflict with her mother on the type of daughter her mother wants her to be.... [tags: Amy Tan, Two Kinds]:: 6 Works Cited

The Relationship of Mothers and their Expectations of Daughters in Amy Tan’s "Two Kinds"
- Our mothers have played very valuable roles in making us who a we are and what we have become of ourselves. They have been the shoulder we can lean on when there was no one else to turn to. They have been the ones we can count on when there was no one else. They have been the ones who love of us for who we are and forgive us when no one else wouldn’t. In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” the character Jing-mei experiences being raised by a mother who has overwhelming expectations for her daughter, causes Jing-mei to struggle with who she wants to be.... [tags: Amy Tan, Two Kinds, mothers]

The Relationship Between a Mother and Daughter in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan is about the intricacies and complexities in the relationship between a mother and daughter. Throughout the story, the mother imposes upon her daughter, Jing Mei, her hopes and dreams for her. Jing Mei chooses not what her mother wants of her but only what she wants for herself. She states, "For, unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be. I could be only me" (Tan 1). Thus this "battle of wills" between mother and daughter sets the conflict of the story.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- In “Two Kinds,” Amy Tan explores a theme of independence. Jing-me is an impressionable nine year old girl living in an apartment with her parents. She struggles with the high expectations of her mother, to become a prodigy. The conflict results in a rebellious independence. Tan develops Jing-me’s character as willful, defiant, and insecure. To begin, Tan demonstrates that Jing-me’s willfulness stands in the way of her success. For example, after failing many of her mothers prodigy tests, she begins to hate them.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- In the story 'Two Kinds'; by Amy Tan, we are shown the struggles of a young girl Jing-Mei. Her struggle is that of a young girl growing up and trying to find her own sense of identity. Her troubles are compounded by her mother, who convinces her that she can become someone important. Because of her mother's constant overbearing behavior, Jing-Mei does everything she can to annoy and displease her mother even to the point of being a failure. This fight to find her own identity against her mother's wishes shows how parents cannot control their child's life; they can only point them in the right direction and let them make their own choices.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Analysis of Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Analysis of Two Kinds by Amy Tan In the story “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, intends to make reader think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to illustrate what is the real problem between her and her mother. Instead, she uses her own point of view as a narrator to state what she has experienced and what she feels in her mind all along the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her opinion. Instead of giving instruction of how to solve a family issue, the author chooses to write a narrative diary containing her true feeling toward events during her childhood, which offers reader not only a clear account, but insight on how the narrat... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- "Two Kinds" is truly an amazing work; it captivates readers with by telling a story of a young girl trying to find herself. Amy Tan does a phenomenal job, not only by portraying a very real mother-daughter relationship, but at showing how much a young girl can change. Jing-Mei evolves throughout the story in a way that many people can relate to; crushed hopes, obeying your parents even if it means doing something you don't want to do, and finally standing up for what you believe in. Since "You could be anything you wanted to be in America" (Tan 348) Jing-Meis' mother thought that meant that you had to be a prodigy.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

East Meets the West in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan‘s ―Two Kinds‖ is a tale of a young Chinese girl‘s life as an adolescent and the influence that her mother has on her growing up. Coming from a first-generation immigrant Korean family, I can‘t help but completely relate to growing up around that type of ―support.‖ Although my parents were fairly westernized in their way of thinking, we had an aunt living with us whom we affectionately called the Tiger Aunt growing up. Having no natural children of her own, she treated my siblings and me as if we were her own children and pretty much had free rein to direct us and help to raise us in any way that she wanted, which was with a very traditional and old fashioned perspective.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Mother Daughter Relationship in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- I’m not You, I’m Me For many of us growing up, our mothers have been a part of who we are. They have been there when our world was falling apart, when we fell ill to the flu, and most importantly, the one to love us when we needed it the most. In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, it begins with a brief introduction to one mother’s interpretation of the American Dream. Losing her family in China, she now hopes to recapture part of her loss through her daughter. However, the young girl, Ni Kan, mimics her mother’s dreams and ultimately rebels against them.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Conflicting Points of View in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- The story "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan is about a mother and daughter who have strong conflicting ideas about what it means to have a sense of self. This may be partly due to the mother growing up in China, which is a very different culture than the American culture where endless opportunities are available to anyone who wants to pursue them. Jing-mei's mother wants her daughter to be the best, a prodigy of sorts, and to have the kind of life, full of hopes and dreams that she did not have. In the beginning of the story Jing-mei liked the idea of becoming a prodigy however, the prodigy in her became impatient.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Transformation to Womanhood in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Transformation to Womanhood in Two Kinds For a lot of us growing up, our mothers have been an integral part of what made us who we are. They have been the one to forgive us when no one else could. They have been the one to comfort us when the world seemed to turn to evil. They have been the one to shelter us when the rain came pouring down. And most importantly, they have been the one to love us when we needed it the most. In "Two Kinds," by Amy Tan, Jing-mei is a young daughter of a Chinese immigrant.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

A Mother's Dream for her Daughter in Amy Tan's Two Kinds
- A Mother's Dream for her Daughter in Amy Tan's Two Kinds Amy Tan's short story, "Two Kinds" begins with a brief introduction to one mother's interpretation of the American dream. The Chinese mother who lost her family in her native homeland now hopes to recapture part of her loss through her daughter. Those of us who are parents want what is best for our children. We strive to make our children's futures better. In some cases, when our own dreams have either been destroyed or not realized, we project our dreams and wishes on our children.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Point of View in Amy Tan’s Short Story, Two Kinds
- Point of View in Amy Tan’s Short Story, Two Kinds In her short story "Two Kinds," Amy Tan utilizes the daughter's point of view to share a mother's attempts to control her daughter's hopes and dreams, providing a further understanding of how their relationship sours. The daughter has grown into a young woman and is telling the story of her coming of age in a family that had emigrated from China. In particular, she tells that her mother's attempted parental guidance was dominated by foolish hopes and dreams.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 1 Works Cited

Pretentious Mothers in Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and Amy Tans’ Two Kinds
- In the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and the short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, a theme of embattled control is established through the association with their children. William’s long-winded Amanda is an overpowering, delusional Southern belle mother. Dead set on finding her slightly handicapped daughter Laura a suitable husband, and dictating how her creative, yet bored, son Tom should conduct himself in life. Amanda, through her nagging and domineering instructions over everything each of her children do, from how they eat, to how they should live out their lives, pushes them into mental seclusion.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 2 Works Cited

Human Oppressiveness in Two Kinds and A&P
- It was Emerson who said it best, “For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure” (Porter 1155). With a detailed look of Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and John Updike’s “A&P,” you will find that this quote is entirely applicable in the context of oppressiveness and in the likeness of “coming of age.” These two stories document the different perspectives of two characters’ growing up and how the role of the invisible hand of oppression guides developing adolescents into mature adults; without prejudice or even forethought.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 7 Works Cited

Family and Cultural Ties in Amy Tan's Two Kinds and Erdrich's The Red Convertible
- People have different culture backgrounds which are very special to them. Usually families’ tradition and thoughts are affected by their cultural backgrounds. Environment is one of the most important factors in a human’s development. When the term "environment" is used, it refers to factors such as family and cultural tie. In today's society, each individual is living his or her life in different a way than others.' Individual’s life choice is generally controlled, learned, influenced, and raised by the cultural background.... [tags: Two Kinds, The Red Convertible]

Two Kinds of Interpretations in Amy Tan’s Short Story Two Kinds
- ... She turned to the most famous little girl of the time the one and only Shirley Temple. In 1920s China when the mother presumably grew up there was no opportunity to be a ‘Shirley Temple’. Now that they were in America the possibilities were endless for her daughter. The mother thought this would be perfect for her as soon as she saw Shirley Temple cry on screen she said to her daughter “You already know how. Don't need talent for crying!"(Tan 305). This brought the mother over the edge she then stopped at nothing to try to bring her daughter to fame.... [tags: china, daughter, relationship]:: 1 Works Cited

Rebellion in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Two Kinds In this story “Two kinds” by Amy Tan it shows the great expectations of a mother, who wishes for her child to be famous and a genius. The mother coming from a society that is very hard working and obedient trying to instill the upbringing she had I her life. The child Jing-mei is a typical example of a child rebelling against their mothers wishes no matter how hard the parental figure tries, the child wishes to perform things in their own way and use their own freewill and to do things in there own timely fashion.... [tags: Two Kinds Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan makes her readers think about the meaning behind her story “Two Kinds”. She tells the story from her own point of view to state her experiences and how she is feeling all throughout the story. She does not state what is right or wrong based strict on her opinion. She does not give instruction about solving a family crisis, instead, she writes her story as a sort of diary expressing how she felt about her childhood events. Readers are offered an accounting of those events, as well as insight about how the author felt frustrated because she failed to meet her mother’s high expectations of her.... [tags: narrative novel, author's frustration, piano]:: 1 Works Cited

Amy Tan's Two Kinds and Julius Lester's Spear
- Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and Julius Lester’s “Spear” are two short stories that manifest themes of pressure amongst the main character and internal conflicts concerning their identity. Most people feel pressure some point in their life, especially if a lot is required of them. Some stand strong and don’t let the pressure weigh them down. On the other hand, there are those that cave in and let others define their identity for them. There are many social forces that exert influences on people. The main character in “Two Kinds”, Jing-Mei, fit’s the description of the strong group that rebels against those that try to rectify her identity, mainly her mother.... [tags: Short Story Analysis, Comparisons]

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior by Amy Chua and Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- ... They both feel that it is their responsibility to teach their children, and that if a child performs badly that it would be their mistake and failure as a mother. Chua states this concern when she says (insert quote here). Similarly, Mrs. Woo explains her concerns: (insert quote here). This appears to be the only reason why they keep pressuring their daughters to be successful at whatever endeavors they attempt. For instance, both of Chinese mothers never give up on helping their daughters find their natural talent.... [tags: Tiger moms]

Mother-Daughter Relationships in Everyday Use, by Alice Walker and Two Kinds, by Amy Tan
- No two mother and daughter relationships are alike. After reading “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan I realized that the two stories had the same subject matter: mother and daughter relationships. These two stories show different cultures, generations and parenting methods. Although the two mothers act differently, they are both ultimately motivated by the same desire: to be a good parent. In addition, while researching related articles, I realized that there were two recurring themes of mothers and daughters: respect and diverse ways of parenting.... [tags: Everyday Use, Two Kinds]:: 4 Works Cited

The Importance of Family Relationships in "The Young Couple" and "Two Kinds"
- In 'The Young Couple', Jhabvala illustrates the difficulties Cathy experiences in family relationships upon moving to India after her marriage to Naraian, whereas in 'Two Kinds', Amy Tan describes the difficulties Jing-mei, the heroine, faces in her relationship with her mother. Part of these difficulties are caused by the 'clash of cultures' that the heroines in both stories experience. Cathy feels that she does not fit in to Indian culture and Jing-mei has to live with a mother who, at crucial times, shows that she lives her life according to Chinese principles, whereas Jing-mei prefers the independent, American lifestyle.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- Two Kinds is a story about mother-daughter relationship  Suyuan and Jing-mei. Suyuan believed that America is where her dreams will be fulfilled. She thought that her daughter, Jing-mei, would be the one to realize them. Jing-mei, on the other hand, was a confused child at first. She was led to believe that she can be someone. At first, she followed her mother, but when she felt that her mother was already forcing her and stealing her youth, she told herself that it was the end. The story is a clash between two individuals from two different generations and beliefs (Suyuan who basically grew up in China; and Jing-mei who was born and raised in United States).... [tags: mother, daughter, family, relationships]:: 2 Works Cited

Conflicting Personalities in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- ... Because they were born into two different cultures they both have different opinions about America and China. Jing Mei who is the main character of the story often tells us what her mother does but not why she does. We can tell from Jing Mei character that she is young and also stubborn. Because she was born in America she wanted the American lifestyle. She did not notice that her mother only wanted the best for her. She thought her mother wanted her to be perfect but in reality she only wanted her to try her best at what she did.... [tags: parent, child, struggle]

Families Values in Knoxville, Tennessee, Those Winter Sundays, and Two Kinds
- Family. What do you think of when you hear that word. Some people think of relatives or the people that they live with. Maybe a stepfather, stepmother, brothers, or sisters. To me, family is love, devotion, and caring. People of a family want to be together and love to do things for each other, such as do the dishes or wash the car for them. The poems that most represent my family values are “Knoxville, Tennessee” by Nikki Giovanni and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. The one that does not represent my family as much as the others is “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]:: 3 Works Cited

The American Dream in Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Two Kinds, and Sophistication
- The American Dream in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Two Kinds writer by Amy Tan, and in “Sophistication” by Sherwood Anderson. Working hard is the key to success. This struggle for success is most commonly called the “American Dream.” The aspect of the American Dream has been around forever and is often the underlying theme in many pieces of American literature. The theme of the American is especially presented in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, The Great Gatsby by F.... [tags: Two Kinds, Amy Tan]

Two Languages and Two Cultures
- Two Languages and Two Cultures United States was built on immigrants and some of the immigrants were pushed from their homeland because of some reasons while other reasons such as America dream pulled them to the United States. Most of these immigrants came from China in 1949, when the communist party took over. These immigrants came with their cultures and languages which are significant in everyone's lives because they play a major role in the development of individual’s characteristics.... [tags: immigration, China, Two Kinds, Amy Tan, US]:: 8 Works Cited

Richard Russo's "Dog" and Amy Tan's "Two Kinds"
- Richard Russo's "Dog" and Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" are stories that illustrate the negative impacts parents sometimes have on their children and the unintended consequences that occur as a result of their parenting. In "Dog," Henry Devereaux grows into an adult who has difficulty connecting emotionally with others, a man who is not easy, and though entertaining, is not comforting. In "Two Kinds," Jing-mei was a failure many times over in her mother's eyes, finally dropping out of college and only accepting of herself later in life.... [tags: Comparative Literature]

Symbolism in Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Everyday Use by Alice Walker
- In the story, Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the most predominant object would be the piano. The mother has it set in her head that her daughter, Jing-Mei can and will become a child prodigy. The mother hires a teacher that lives in their apartment building. Jing-Mei constantly feels like she is a disappointment to her mother. Her mother had very distinct goals for Jing-Mei and this is way she always felt that she was disappointing her. Jing-Mei was forced to take piano lessons; this only further upset her as she felt that she was a constant disappointment.... [tags: piano, quilt, heritage]:: 2 Works Cited

Conformity and Rebellion in Two Kinds, by Amy Tan and The Ones Who Walk Away
- Throughout American history, we have seen the United States become more progressive in their social issues, such as the abolishment of slavery, women’s suffrage, and the Civil Rights Movement. But as time has passed, we have encountered another group that is being discriminated against: homosexuals. Some states try their best to give equal rights to homosexuals so that they are respected as equally as everyone else. But in many states, such as Kansas and Arizona, private companies and businesses are given the right to turn down homosexual couples if it interferes with their religious beliefs.... [tags: Homosexuality, Gender]:: 6 Works Cited

Mother-Daughter Struggle in Amy Tan´s Two Kinds.
- The story “Two Kinds” written by Amy Tan is about a Chinese-American family looking for new opportunities in California. Jing-Mei’s mother would to sit her down after dinner and read magazine articles about prodigy children and then quiz Jing-Mei to see if she could do what the prodigy child was doing. Jing-Mei was always feeling that she was not reaching her full potential in her mother’s eyes. Through Jing-Mei struggles with her mother and the piece of music the protagonist matures into the realization that she controls her own destiny and becomes stronger in her own beliefs.... [tags: essays research papers]

Character Analysis of a Daughter and Her Chinese Immigrant Mother in Two Kinds by Amy Tan
- ... 637)” The daughter tied her worth to the prodigy that she must become. However, after a beauty training school nightmare and relentless failed prodigy testing the daughter stops trying completely and becomes resentful toward her mother. The last talent the mother tried to develop within her daughter was the ability to play the piano. Instead of trying to learn the piano, the daughter intentionally did a poor job. “I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different (p. 640)”. When the time comes for the daughter to display her piano playing skills in a talent show, she is confident and “knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist.... [tags: relationship, piano, forgiveness]:: 1 Works Cited

Road to Perfect Contentment
- The secret to understanding is the will to try. Since the existence of society, people have always strived to try their best. However, some individuals don’t want “best.” Jing-mei, the protagonist in Amy Tan’s short story “Two Kinds,” is one of these people, believing that she could never amount to anything big. Jing-mei refused to hope that she could be anyone special, leading her to stubbornly reject her mother until she finally understood what her mother was trying to do, demonstrating how people will only be happy when they choose to do things on their own free will.... [tags: Amy Tan's short story Two Kinds]

Amy Tan's Two Kinds and Maggie Scarf's The Beavers' Scale of Family health and Competence
- Why are children, pianos, and bad mothers a recipe for disaster. Maggie Scarfs essay” The Beavers scale of Family health and Competence” may be able to answer this question that haunts many families. Maggie Scarf compared and contrasted many families and was able to come up with the Family scale that puts these families on 5 different levels. Level 5 being the worst while level 1 being the most docile and best family unit. Using Scarfs essay we will be able to help the reader understand the level 4 family type to explain Amy Tans essay called” Two Kinds” were Jing-Mei battles her mother for self-control and her own social freedom.... [tags: books analysis and comparison]

The Role of Parents in The Use of Force and Two Kinds
- In “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, tells a story through the eyes of a young girl who, in the beginning, follows her mother's dreams, but eventually rebels against them. Tan uses the common theme that most parents are able to relate to because it expresses the many frustrations that parents and children feel/face when obsession takes the place of nurturing. In “The Use of Force”, the story is narrated by a doctor, who is answering a house call to see a sick girl, whose parents fear that she may have diphtheria.... [tags: amy tan, parents roles, william carlos]:: 5 Works Cited

A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan is a Chinese American writer, whose short stories portray the theme that finding the balance between heritage and culture is not always easy. This is seen through Amy Tan’s own life experience and through a couple of the many short stories she has written, for example, “Two Kinds”, “Rice Husband”, and “A Pair of Tickets”. In the following short stories, the daughter becomes everything the mother wished for, but meanwhile, the daughter becomes more American like and loses her Chinese values.... [tags: biography, two kinds, rice husband]:: 5 Works Cited

Amy Tan's Story Mother Tongue
- Amy Tan's Story Mother Tongue A good portion of Americans today speak English as their first language. However, what makes us different is that it is rare to find two people that speak the exact same English. This is the argument Amy Tan makes in her story “Mother Tongue”. A first-generation Asian American, Tan emigrated from China to Oakland, California, where she became a famous writer. She shares her personal story of the English she speaks, and how much the people you are around can change the way you converse.... [tags: Amy Tan Mother Tongue]

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, a famous novel about the relationship between two generations, mother and daughter. Tan is an American-Chinese woman, whose parents are both Chinese immigrants. In order to meet the high expectation of her mother, Tan had to go through many hardships. Around five years old, she already knew the taste of pressure when her mother was displeased at her just because her picture was not hanged in the Principal’s Office. Growing up in America, Tan also realizes the differences between two cultures.... [tags: two generations, chinese women]:: 8 Works Cited

Amy Tan's Literary Works
- Amy Tan's Literary Works “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. Your could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with almost no money down. You could become rich. You could become instantly famous.” These are some of the dreams that Jing-Mei’s mother in Amy Tan’s Two Kinds has of America. She is not alone. Millions of people come to America to make these dreams come true, like the Indian’s Tribe in Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.... [tags: Papers]

Mother Daughter Relationships - Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- A Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Joy Luck Club In Amy Tan's novel, Joy Luck Club, the mother of Jing-mei recognizes only two kinds of daughters: those that are obedient and those that follow their own mind. Perhaps the reader of this novel may recognize only two types of mothers: pushy mothers and patient mothers. The two songs, "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented," which the daughter plays, reinforce the underlying tension in the novel. These songs represent the feelings that the daughter, Jing-mei, has had throughout her life.... [tags: Joy Luck Club Essays Amy Tan Papers]:: 3 Works Cited

amy tan
- Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” is an autobiographical look into her childhood that shows the conflict between Tan and her mother, the difference between old and new cultures, the past and the present, and parents’ expectations vs. reality. Couples of opposing elements comprise the basis of the entire story; to another extent even the title itself, “Two Kinds,” shows the friction that Tan creates. The strongest argument that Tan suggest is that this may not only be a look into her own life, rather it may be the struggles that every child and parent goes through as they come into age.... [tags: essays research papers]

Amy Tan: A Brief Biography
- ... The issue of language “takes on a metonymic relation to culture in Tan's portrayal of the gap between the mothers and daughters” in Tan’s stories (Hamilton 1999, 6). Because of the daughters’ fragmented understanding of their ethnic culture and the mother’s rigid cultural viewpoint, we can conclude that they "never really understood one another" (Tan 1989, 37). Cultural conflict is another theme that is recurrent in many of Amy Tan’s works. The cultural conflict that is displayed in Tan’s stories further intensifies the mother/daughter tension that is normally caused by the natural generational conflicts.... [tags: American Chinese writer]:: 6 Works Cited

The Mother in I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen
- The most heartbreaking way to destroy a precious relationship between mothers and daughters is when each party says something insensitive and callous, as described in Amy Tan’s story Two Kinds, “There are only two kinds of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind. Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!’” to which the daughter, Jing Mei, responds, “Then I wish I’d never been born. I wish I were dead. Like them” (294-295). Although the mother’s words are unkind, Jing Mei ultimately crosses the line, thus creating a fracture in their relationship that she believes will never be mended.... [tags: two kinds, mother and daughters]:: 3 Works Cited

Characters from Opposite Sides of the World in Two Kinds by Any Tan
- ... Similarly, my parents were born in opposite cultures than that of America where I was raised. My father grew up in rural Eastern Europe and my mother was raised in Central America. Just like Jing-Mei, I have had influences brought in to my daily life that may not seem completely traditional in the eyes of an American. Whether it is through the presence of multiple languages in the household or the quirky observations of my parent’s behaviors, I find it easy to relate to Jing-Mei’s household setting.... [tags: culture, traditions, contrast]:: 1 Works Cited

Amy Tan Overcoming Faulty Relationships and Self Identity
- ... Mothers never fully realized though that their good intentions were not always in the best interest of their daughters. In Tan’s life her mother wanted her to be a concert pianist and even a neurosurgeon, but Tan instead became a writer (McCarthy). Unlike her mother, Tan did not believe she could be anything special but herself (Showalter 798). Many of the women in Tan’s books did not know what kind of person they were. The scholar, Gary Weiner, observes that “Being simultaneously insider (a person who identifies strongly with her cultural group) and outsider (deviant and rebel against that tradition), she cannot figure out from which perspective to speak” (42).... [tags: Chinese American authors]:: 8 Works Cited

Plot Development in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- ... This idea helps to explain many of Jing- Mei’s actions. On the other hand, this story is placed towards the middle of the novel, meaning this story should begin to set up for the climax of the over all novel. For example, this story is about her Jing- Mei Woo’s mother wanting her to be a piano prodigy, but her daughter ends up being far from that. The daughter gets discouraged and decides to stop playing the piano for years. This story does have a climax within it’s self, but it is neither the highest point of the novel, nor is it the readers highest point of interest.... [tags: plot development, The Joy Luck Club]:: 1 Works Cited

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- In The Joy Luck Club, culture plays a crucial part in the conflict between mother and daughter. Tan takes advantage of her past family experiences to inspire her fictional novel based on maintaining Chinese heritage, along with the pertinent task of discovering ones true identity. Tan uses the mothers’ collections of stories and multiple points of views to display how the Chinese emigrant daughters’ immerse themselves in American culture while their mothers wish for them to maintain their Chinese heritage.... [tags: chinese immigrants, cultural barriers]:: 5 Works Cited

Mother Is Always Right in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Instead of beating around the bush Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club exposes the not so chipper relationships between Chinese mothers and their polar opposite Chinese-American daughters. The mothers struggle to express the importance of their Chinese heritage while also keeping balance with “good” American characteristics to their daughters; while the daughters struggle with their identities and relationships with others. The Joy Luck Club is written as a collection of flashbacks told by the Chinese mothers and their American daughters.... [tags: chinese, culture, daughter]:: 1 Works Cited

The Mother and Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Mother and Daughter Struggle in The Joy Luck Club The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, illustrates what life is like for many foreigners in America who are trying to give their child the opportunities they most likely did not have themselves as children. The story touches on a very common struggle in America, that between mother and daughter, in which the daughter never feels good enough for her mother. Also present is the struggle Jing-Mei has with herself. Jing-Mei's mother has her mind set on making her daughter a prodigy of some kind. She constantly presses Jing-Mei to do better and be better at whatever activity she participates, but why is she doing this? There are a... [tags: Mother Daughter Relationships]:: 6 Works Cited

Essay on Mother as Villain and Victim in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Mother as Villain and Victim in Joy Luck Club In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan focuses on several mother-daughter relationships. One of the relationships explored is that between an immigrant Chinese mother and her American born daughter Jing-mei. The mother expects Jing-mei to be a prodigy child - while pursuing this dream she unintentionally creates a serious conflict between her and her daughter. To fulfill her unrealistic expectations, the mother pushes Jing-mei to be the best in anything and everything.... [tags: Joy Luck Club Essays]:: 3 Works Cited

The Significance of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
- The Significance of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club In her novel The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan tells of the lives of four Chinese immigrant mothers, their hopes, their dreams and the way each of their daughters feel about their mother's lives. Mother-daughter relationships are the basis for the entire story. Tan shows the hardships each mother experiences as a child and young adult, and how they all want better lives for their daughters. She shows the struggles between the mothers and the daughters; these struggles result from many different things, from the cultural gap, to dreams and goals that may have been set too high. Each daughter knows her mother mean... [tags: Joy Luck Club Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

History, Culture and Identity of Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
- History, Culture and Identity of Mothers and Daughters in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club is a novel that deals with many controversial issues. These issues unfold in her stories about four Chinese mothers and their American raised daughters. The novel begins with the mothers talking about their own childhood’s and the relationship that they had with their mothers. Then it focuses on the daughters and how they were raised, then to the daughters current lives, and finally back to the mothers who finish their stories.... [tags: Joy Luck Club Essays]:: 3 Works Cited

Two Different Mindsets of Parenting: The Chinese and the Western Approach
- ... These things clearly are not being brought into the Chinese parenting style which will have a negative effect on their kids when grown and have to work in fields that involves in participating in events and with people. Furthermore, the story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan basically speaks about a Chinese mother that makes her daughter do all different types of exercise of studies and instrumental lessons. Her mother’s way of parenting is clearly Chinese parenting style. Nothing was good enough for her; she always wanted better for her daughter.... [tags: memorization vs kinesthetic learning style]

The Rules of the Game by Amy Tan
- The Rules of the Game by Amy Tan In "The Rules of the Game," a short story about a young Chinese-American girl, Waverly Jong, embarks journey to become a chess master. Waverly's mother believes she is a key component during this journey. Even though the mother actually has no true role in Waverly's adventure, she continues to believe it is her as the one who is succeeding. This belief is a necessity for Waverly's mother because she has nothing for herself. Waverly's mother has to live through her daughter because of her own lack of success.... [tags: Amy Tan Chinese American]

Amy Tan's Mother Tongue
- Amy Tan's Mother Tongue In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan talks about how language influenced her life while growing up. Through pathos she explains to her audience how her experiences with her mother and the Chinese language she came to realize who she wanted to be and how she wanted to write. The author, Tan, has written the books The Joy Luck Club, and The Kitchen God's Wife. She is Asian-American, her parents are originally from China, but moved to Oakland, California. The audience in Tan's essay is people 20-35 years old who are culturally diverse.... [tags: Amy Tan Writing Chinese Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

Amy Tan’s Search for Self-Identity: Intertwining Fiction and Biography
- Nearly two decades after Amy Tan was born, she began to uncover information that her family previously withheld from her. As time went on it, it started to consume her every thought, she found writing as an escape and used it as a tool to discover who she was individually. Many speculate as to whether Tan’s literature is a direct reflection of her personal experiences, there are countless similarities between the two. Tan and her mother had many barriers to overcome throughout the course of their relationship, and most of Tan’s work reflects distressed mother-daughter relationships.... [tags: joy luck club, amy tan, self identity]:: 8 Works Cited

Amy Tan’s A Mother’s Tongue
- Amy Tan’s A Mother’s Tongue The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home.... [tags: Amy Tan A Mother’s Tongue]

Amy Tan's Mother Tongue
- Amy Tan's Mother Tongue The Essay written by Amy Tan titled 'Mother Tongue' concludes with her saying, 'I knew I had succeeded where I counted when my mother finished my book and gave her understandable verdict' (39). The essay focuses on the prejudices of Amy and her mother. All her life, Amy's mother has been looked down upon due to the fact that she did not speak proper English. Amy defends her mother's 'Broken' English by the fact that she is Chinese and that the 'Simple' English spoken in her family 'Has become a language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk' (36).... [tags: English Language Amy Tan Mother Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

Chinese Culture vs. American Culture in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Chinese Culture vs. American Culture in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club An author's cultural background can play a large part in the authors writing. Amy Tan, a Chinese-American woman, uses the cultural values of Chinese women in American culture in her novel, The Joy Luck Club. These cultural values shape the outcome of The Joy Luck Club. The two cultural value systems create conflict between the characters. In The Joy Luck Club, the chapter "Waiting Between the Trees" illustrates major concerns facing Chinese-American women.... [tags: Amy Tan The Joy Luck Club]

Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Amy Tan's “The Joy Luck Club” The “Joy Luck Club,” by Amy Tan, is a collection of short stories about the relationships between Chinese born mothers and their American born daughters. The story called “Four Directions” is about a woman named Waverly Jong. The story is about Waverly trying to tell her mother that she is getting married to a American man named Richard. Waverly was a chess champion as while she was a young girl and she remembers the strategy that she used in her matches, and in her life, as she tries to tell her mother about a marriage to an American man.... [tags: Amy Tan Joy Luck Club Essays]

Mother Daughter Relationships in works by Chang Rae-Lee and Amy Tan
- The Power of a Mother In their articles, Chang Rae-Lee and Amy Tan establish a profound ethos by utilizing examples of the effects their mother-daughter/mother-son relationships have had on their language and writing. Lee’s "Mute in an English-Only World" illustrates his maturity as a writer due to his mother’s influence on growth in respect. Tan, in "Mother Tongue," explains how her mother changed her writing by first changing her conception of language. In any situation, the ethos a writer brings to an argument is crucial to the success in connecting with the audience; naturally a writer wants to present himself/herself as reliable and credible (Lunsford 308).... [tags: Chang Rae Lee Amy Tan]:: 3 Works Cited

The Life and Career of Amy Tan
- Amy Tan, an accomplished Chinese-American author, is well-known for her incorporation of her Chinese heritage into her works of literature. Amy Ruth Tan was born to John and Daisy Tan on February 19, 2952 (“Amy Tan Biography”). Although Amy Tan’s parents were both born in China, she was American born. Daisy Tan was born to a wealthy family in Shanghai, China. John Tan, on the other hand, was an electrical engineer and Baptist minister. Amy Tan’s parents met in a dangerous decade of the 1940’s in China while battles were being fought on all fronts.... [tags: Biography, Chinese-American Author]

Mother-Daughter Communication in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
- Mother-Daughter Communication in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club Of the many stories involving the many characters of "The Joy Luck Club", I believe the central theme connecting them all is the inability of the mothers and their daughters to communicate effectively. The mothers all have stories of past struggles and hard times yet do not believe their daughters truly appreciate this fact. The mothers of the story all want their daughters to never have to go through the struggles they themselves had to go through, yet they are disappointed when their daughters grow up and do not exhibit the respect or strength of their mothers. This is the ironic paradox of the story. T... [tags: Joy Luck Club Essays Amy Tan Papers]:: 6 Works Cited

Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan
- Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as “broken” and “fractured”, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inability to speak the way society expects.... [tags: Mother Tongue Essays]

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan
- Identity and Culture Amy Tan’s ,“Mother Tongue” and Maxine Kingston’s essay, “No Name Woman” represent a balance in cultures when obtaining an identity in American culture. As first generation Chinese-Americans both Tan and Kingston faced many obstacles. Obstacles in language and appearance while balancing two cultures. Overcoming these obstacles that were faced and preserving heritage both women gained an identity as a successful American. In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look into how she adapted her language to assimilate into American culture.... [tags: identity, culture, women]:: 2 Works Cited

Amy Tan's The Joyluck Club
- ... When Ted tells her that he wants to have a divorce, she sulks for a few days, but then realizes her problem. Calling him over, she gives him the divorce papers, his name still there, but lacking hers. His shock was appropriate, since the viewers too felt the same surprise. The story takes a powerful turn, as Rose "felt nothing, no fear, no anger" (219). She no longer feared disappointing him and being different from him. She developed from the little girl who would listen to others, into an adult who made her own decisions.... [tags: story analysis]:: 1 Works Cited

Relationship between Two Sisters in "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan
- ... When Jing-Mei first enters the borders of China at the beginning of the story, she mentions that she “feels different”(189). She recalls: “I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain…I am becoming Chinese”(189). The curious thing about this is that it is the first trip Jing-Mei had ever taken to her homeland of China and yet she feels a strange connection instantly. She recalls her mother’s words to her as a child.... [tags: china, conflict, emotional]:: 1 Works Cited

Amy Tan
- Amy Tan was born February 19, 1952 in Oakland California. Her family lived in several communities in Northern California, both parents are Chinese immigrants. Her father named John Tan was an electrical engineer, he also had a second job as a Baptist minister. He came to America to escape the turmoil of the Chinese Civil War. Amy’s mother is named Daisy who inspires her book The Kitchen God’s Wife. Her mother divorces her first husband who abused her, but had custody of her three daughters. She escapes on the last boat to leave Shanghai before the communist took over.... [tags: Biography]

Author Amy Tan
- One’s ability to craft their own identity often starts out with determining their inner set of ideologies and values. New York Times bestselling author, Amy Tan, is one of many great examples who was able to mirror her own values into her bestselling novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife. Known for incorporating mother-daughter relationships into her stories, Tan uses her novel to allow readers an inside look into her personal set of beliefs and values. The story follows a Chinese immigrant living in America, Winnie, who tries to reconnect with her “Americanized” daughter by reciting her story of the struggles she faced while living in Shanghai.... [tags: New York Times Bestseller, The Kitchen God's Wife]:: 3 Works Cited

My Mother's Tongue by Amy Tan
- ... Using examples from her personal life Tan gets her point across about language and culture characteristics in order to show how Chinese culture is affected by the master narrative and also encourages others to include a variety of cultures in order to overcome bias opinions. Tan’s apparent audience can be ranged from the child of an immigrant to a doctor and offers an authentic and rich portrayal of Chinese history through her conflicting experience of her Chinese and American cultures. In the essay “Straw into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday” (1984), Sandra Cisneros, nationally known Mexican-American author, uses an informal tone and fragment sentences such as “ I’d never seen a... [tags: essay analysis]

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- ... However, like their mothers, they are struggling to find true love or themselves in their marriages. Instead, they must break up their marriages to find themselves. The only one love that remains constant in the novel is that between the mothers and daughters. No matter how strained it is by cultural and generational differences, it is indestructible, a bond that nothing can be broken. Love, like heritage, goes through generations of females, much like the sacrifices that go through the generations as well.... [tags: asian americnas, identity]

Amy Tan's Mother Tongue and Jimmy Santiago Baca's Coming Into Language
- Amy Tan's Mother Tongue and Jimmy Santiago Baca's Coming Into Language In the course of reading two separate texts it is generally possible to connect the two readings even if they do not necessarily seem to be trying to convey the same message. The two articles, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, and “Coming Into Language” by Jimmy Santiago Baca, do have some very notable similarities. They are two articles from a section in a compilation about the construction of language. The fact that these two articles were put into this section makes it obvious that they will have some sort of connection.... [tags: Tan Baca Mother Tongue Language Essays]

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan
- English is an invisible gate. Immigrants are the outsiders. And native speakers are the gatekeepers. Whether the gate is wide open to welcome the broken English speakers depends on their perceptions. Sadly, most of the times, the gate is shut tight, like the case of Tan’s mother as she discusses in her essay, "the mother tongue." People treat her mother with attitudes because of her improper English before they get to know her. Tan sympathizes for her mother as well as other immigrants. Tan, once embarrassed by her mother, now begins her writing journal through a brand-new kaleidoscope.... [tags: broken english, native english speakers]

Spicy Tongues: Mother Tongue by Amy Tan
- “I am someone who has always loved language. I am fascinated by language in daily life.” Amy Tan, an Asian-American writer of the article Mother Tongue loves the different “Englishes” that can be spoken. In the article, she shares her personal feelings of when she was younger; her embarrassment of her mother’s English and even her own struggle with the language. Amy Tan effectively writes Mother Tongue through the use of diction to show the tone, portray amazing syntax, and express the vivid imagery.... [tags: language, imagery, learning]:: 1 Works Cited

A Pair of Tickets, by Amy Tan
- Amy Tan’s classic short story, “A Pair of Tickets”, is a coming of age story as the protagonist wakes up to her heritage when she travels to her native land, but it is also a story of internal racial tension. Not in the sense of one class looking down on another but of the internal racial tension that rages on inside Jing-mei as the battle between what she is by birth and what she is by nature tears her apart when she suddenly discovers her long lost sisters just a month after her mother dies.... [tags: A Pair of Tickets Essays]

Ethnicity and Identity in A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan
- A Pair of Tickets”, by Amy Tan, is a brief narrative about the conscience and reminiscence of a young Chinese American woman, Jing-Mei, who is on a trip to China to meet her two half-sisters for the first time in her life. Amy Tan is an author who uses the theme of Chinese-American life, converging primarily on mother-daughter relationships, where the mother is an emigrant from China and the daughter is fully Americanized --yellow on the surface and white underneath. In this story, the mother tries to communicate rich Chinese history and legacy to her daughter, but she is completely ignorant of their heritage.... [tags: heritage, Chinese, daughter]:: 1 Works Cited